Improvement in pocket-pencils



. protect its nipulation,

PATENT Qrrron.

UNITED STATES 1 DANIEL SOMERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.IMPROVFEMENT m PQcKET-PENC Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 188,721, dated March 20, 1877; application filed I September 5, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL M. SoMERs, of New York city, county and State of New York, have invented a.c'ertain new and useful Improvement in Pocket-Pencils, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawings is'illustrated fin Figure 1 a longitudinal section, showing the pencil in elevation Fig. 2, a similar view,

showing the inner'tube or holder in elevation; Fig. 3, an elevation of the inner tube detached from the case; Fig. 4, a cross-section on line as, Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a similar view on line as, Fig. and Fig- 6, a similar view on line :1 Fig. 3. a This invention relates to that class of leadpencils which are provided with holders orwhich may be adjusted to cover the pencilpoint as a protector, orexpose the same when x the pencilis to be used for writing or mark- .ing. a

Artistsl points and naked leads have been provided with protecting cases, ichthey are adapted to slide for protectioinahd from which'they may baprotruded for use 'butsuch cases have been of complicated and expensive construction. It has also beenjcommon to provide the ordinary wooden pencil with short metallic tubular protectors,which areadjusted upon either the pointed or unpointed end of the pencil, ac

cording as it is desired to expose or protect said pointed or writing end. Both wooden .;and metallic holders provided with a means lffor adjusting a wooden pencil in them have also been constructed.

All of these devices are more or less defective, either in their complicated construction or by reason of the complex manipulation necessary in their operation.

The device I havedevised is adapted to adjust the pencil in its holder, and to expose or pointed end by the simplest mathe construction being simple,

cheap, and effective. y

The holder consists of a tube, A, closed at -low that in the tube end.

one end, and provided at its open end with a rolled screw-thread, a, which is adapted to receive the ordinary wood-incased lead-pencil.

The said pencil is introduced therein by simple rotation while a gentle endwise pressure is applied to it, the result being that the screw-thread a will so compress the wooden pencil-holder as to impress a-thread upon it. Once introduced into the tube A, until its sharpened point P protrudes a proper extent therefrom, the pencil may be used in writing; and when its point is worn away, so as to need resharpening, it may be protruded for that purpose by rotating it in a contrary direction to that by which it was entered into the tube A, when its thread will readily fol- It is preferable, however, to prepare the pencil for use in this holder by forming a screw-thread upon its exterior surface, as in Fig. 1, which shows a polygonal pencil, provided with nicks 0 cut spirally through its corners; and this form of pencil is especially adapted to my holder. A continuous thread upon the surface of a round pencil will, however, serve the purpose equally well, though for such pencils I prefer to provide the case A with longitudinal flutings, as at t", Fig. 3, whose inward projections press upon the surface of the pencil with frictional contact sufficient to hold it in any position of adjustment.

This holder is provided with an exterior case, B, adapted to slide thereon, and be projected over the pencil end P, as in Fig. 2, or drawn back, as in Fig. 1, so as to expose said pencil end. In order to hold this case B in any position of its adjustment upon the tube A, the latter is provided with longitudinal projections or ribs 0, one, two, three, or more of which are raised upon its surface to a slight degree, so as to bear upon and press the inner walls of the tubular case B to such an extent as will slightly distort the said case from a true circle, or at least bear thereon with a force sufficient to cause a frictional detent which will hold the tubes in whatever position they are placed relative to each other, and yet readily yield so as to slide one upon the other when moved in opposite longitudinal directions.

The case B is provided with knurls c e to assist in sliding it upon the holder A. When the case B is projected over the pencilpoiut to protect it, as in Fig. 2, the device is adapted to be carried in the pocket. and the case B may he slid upon the holder A, so as to expose the peneil-poiut for use, as shown in Fig. 1, by holding the case B firmly in the hand and simply pressing the end D of the holder upon a table or other fixed surface, when the said holder will be forced into the case A far enough to protrude the pencil-point. Pressure in the same manner upon the pencil-point will force the holder into the position shown in Fig. 2.

It is obvious that the projections a may protrude from either tube against the other.

What I claim is- 1. A pocket-pencil, consisting of an inner tube, provided with interior pencil-holding projections, and with exterior projecting frictional detents, in combination with an outer protecting-tube adapted to slide longitudinally thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination of twotubes sliding upon each other, one of which tubes is provided with a projection swaged from its body, and bearing upon the other tube to form a frictional detent, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL M. SOMERS. Witnesses:

H. T. MUNSON, M. B. PHILIPP. 

